McCoy to stay as Oceanside police chief

Oceanside Police Chief Frank McCoy, who retired in October but continued working as an hourly employee while the city searched for his replacement, has agreed to stay on another two years, city officials said Wednesday.

McCoy officially stepped down Oct. 27, but agreed to stay on as a temporary worker during the search, receiving no city benefits.

City Manager Steve Jepsen said he had recently spoken to McCoy about what his plans were for retirement and the chief told him he didn’t have any plans. That’s when Jepsen asked McCoy to stay and McCoy agreed.

“I think this is the right thing right now for the department,” Jepsen said, because city officials value McCoy’s leadership and it would give the chief time to train a successor.

McCoy could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

Before he retired, McCoy’s annual base salary with uniform allowance was $193,935, making his total compensation about $287,000 a year including benefits. Under his new deal with the city, McCoy will get a 6.5 percent raise this year and another 6.5 percent raise the following year, Jepsen said.

As a temporary worker during his retirement, McCoy was paid roughly $93 an hour. City officials couldn’t provide an exactly tally Wednesday evening of how many hours he logged over the past several months.

When he stepped down in October, he began drawing a monthly pension of $16,169, a spokesman for the California Public Employees’ Retirement System said at that time. Under state law, retired public employees can work up to 960 hours a year, or roughly six months working full time, for a public employer such as a city, while still drawing a pension.

Retirees who want to resume their full-time employment can do so, but can’t draw on their pension at the same time, according to CalPERS.

McCoy’s new contract will come to a vote before the City Council on Wednesday, Jepsen said.

Mayor Jim Wood and councilmen Jack Feller and Jerry Kern said they support the decision.

“He’s done an excellent job,” Kern said. “He’s a very able administrator. I like the idea.”

McCoy was appointed chief in January 2006. He suffered a family tragedy in late 2010 when his wife, Brinda, was involved in a suicidal standoff with police officers at their Orange County home. In September 2012, she was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Wood said he was glad to have McCoy stay.

“I’d like to have him a couple of more years,” Wood said.

Jepsen said there were two people from within the Oceanside Police Department who were good candidates to replace McCoy, but who needed more experience. Jepsen said he wanted McCoy to mentor them and eventually hire one to lead the department.